After finishing 1st grade, little Peter P. had a fantastic score on his standardized test, clocking in at the 88th percentile. And he made such good progress the following year that his parents decided to give him a 3rd-grade-level test.
He acquitted himself quite well, with a score placing him in the top 25% of percent of third-graders. In effect, he skipped 2nd grade and still came in near the top of his class.
But this excellent result caused heartburn in Richmond Public Schools. Their representative demanded that the P. family give him a 2nd-grade test!
The representative also found fault with the family’s curriculum description. She demanded “a detailed description of the curriculum with content of each subject by grade level.”
Members of HSLDA, the P. family asked us for help. Senior Counsel Scott Woodruff wrote a letter explaining the absurdity of insisting that Peter take an easier test after he scorched the 3rd-grade test. And Woodruff rebutted the subject content demand by explaining that the law does not require families to describe content of individual subjects, but only an overall description of the child’s program for the coming year.
The family heard nothing further from the representative. And with the passage of SB 564, as of July 1, 2012, a simple list of subjects to be studied will completely satisfy the curriculum description requirement.
Courtesy HSLDA. Used with permission.
Home School Legal Defense Association is a nonprofit advocacy organization established to defend and advance the constitutional right of parents to direct the education of their children and to protect family freedoms. Through annual memberships, HSLDA is tens of thousands of families united in service together, providing a strong voice when and where needed.
Publication Date: June 27, 2012